"Hey, that's an even BETTER idea." Dhargun halted his chocobo. "I'm all up for a little tassle." He grinned, eager at the chance to practice his trade. After all, what point was there to a necromancer that didn't have any corpses?

Almost immediately after Dhargunâ€™s outburst, the group could see a flash of movement behind them. As Aya turned her chocobo around, they saw another flash. As Dhargun brought his own mount to a halt, they saw another.

It was clear that the drowâ€™s noise had alerted their tail. They could really expect nothing less. However, it wasnâ€™t clear at all what they were dealing with, until Dhargun felt all the breath leave his lungs, as he flew off the back of his chocobo.

Meanwhile, a woman skidded to a stop just past the mass of adventurers, and slowly stood. She wore an elaborate silk blindfold, and a loose navy blue cheongsam, draping to just under her knees. From the stern, stoic expression on her face, they could tell that she wasnâ€™t going to just let them get awayâ€¦

(Alright, initiative is as follows:

1 Tail
2 Xia
3 Atoujirou
4 Ayri
5 Cuimacc
6 Aya
7 Richard
8 Dhargun

Xia, youâ€™re up! Oh, and Dhargun is at 59/83 HP, and Iâ€™ll be posting makeshift rules for mounted combat in the OOC forum momentarily, and weâ€™ll be using them until official rules are decided, or the fight is over, whichever comes first.)

Ayri checked her chocobo and began to sing. It was a light, airy, energetic tune which seemed to sweep thinly through the air to most of the combatants. However, it resounded strongly in the ears of Cuimacc, seeming to energize him. If all went well, and Ayri's chocobo wasn't spooked by the sudden burst of noise (for she was singing quite loudly in order to be heard,) then the song would have it's desired effect...

Cuimacc sprung forth with the balls of his feet, the refortifiying 'song' still crisp in his mind. He quickly drew his blade, immediately going into a slash just as he came into range of the woman.

However, he drew his sword back short of his slash deliberately. He swung it around, letting the blunt side of his Katana face the woman. He then gripped the handle with both hands as he swung the blunt side, aiming directly under the woman's jaw.

Surely enough, the attack hit his target, knocking her back. However, despite his attempts, she was able to strangely able to almost instantly recover. Except for a little red mark on her chin, she seemed just fine...only now, it seemed her focus had shifted towards Cuimacc.

Growling, Aya shifted her reigns to one hand, pointing the other towards their assailant, white light gathering in her palm, rather annoyed that another meddler had decided to get in their way. Chanting briefly in ryuuzoku, Aya unleashed her spell at the woman, "CHAOTIC DISINTEGRATION!"

After coming to the definite conclusion that this enemy might be more bothersome than she would of ever guessed, and feeling lucky that this person hadn't gone unnoticed as to be able to slit their throats in the night, Xia began to summon the forces of the shadow.

She allowed herself a brief glance at her team, noticing Richard looked ready to strike, she decided to delay her spell until after he had distracted the attacker a bit more.

Richard, now noticing just what he and his allies were up against, had come up with his plan. He knew disaster would come if he tried to fight up close. And his magic wasn't that good either.

That's when he remembered that Dhargun had been kicked off his chocobo. While he couldn't do anything about being thrown off directly, Richard decided that he could at least ease the blow a bit.

He gripped the reins of his chocobo in his left hand, and with his right, he did his best to recall what he knew about healing. Tracing a pattern in the air and chanting under his breath, Richard directed his healing energies at Dhargun.

Dhargun grunted. It was probably better he had fallen off the chocobo. He hated the things anyways. But that woman made a TERRIBLE mistake. Dhargun was the rare breed that was both a lover AND a fighter...and he was ready for either. He unsheathed his sword, and dashed towards the woman, slashing wide.

Ayri's singing hadn't so much stopped as it had become very soft. She had been using the mean time to reach around and grab her spellsong rod, swinging it around and bringing it's magical tones to the aid of her next song. Perhaps not a song so much as a rasping serries of tones that seemed rather disturbing to the group as a whole, but again focusing more tightly and clearly around a single target. This time, however, the woman they faced was the one who would hear it...

Cuimacc looked at their opponent with greater care this time. While doing so, he sheathed his Katana, clutching the scabbard to his left hip as he turned his body halfway, keeping the sheath on the exact opposite side of the woman.

He sunk into a low stance, and let his free hand hover over his sword's handle.

Dhargun grinned. He could cut this woman open all day, but he'd prefer to end it the fun way. He hopped back a bit, then opened his arms, forming a suction of dark magic. If it worked, he'd be screwing the enemy in more ways than one. He grinned, knowing he'd be victorious in the end.

Unfortunately for the necromancer, his spell seemed to have no effect. As the woman began to curl her hands into fists and rear back, he also began to realize that he was the closest available target to her. And as she lunged into a two fisted punch, sending him flying back towards Aya, he realized that his spell just seemed to get her attention...

Ayri looked about the battlefield, trying to keep her chocobo under control. She wasn't sure what she could do against so powerful an opponet, so she merely checked her bird to keep it from running, and watched for the moment, hoping for an opening...

Cuimacc inched forward very slowly durring the pause, he noted the woman's moves, studying her posture and stance carefully. And in one instant, Cuimacc was in range, and took his opportunity...

His thumb snapped his hilt clear of it's sheath, and his hand gripped the handle firmly. He then lept across the battlefield at his opponent, using merely his feet and lower legs to propel him. Just as he was coming in range, Cuimacc began to pull the sword from it's sheath, turning his hips and shoulders while doing so.

As the sword fully exited it's sheath, it travelled at an overwhelming speed, leaving a light blue afterimage of itself at it traveled through the air, towards the woman.

Cuimacc executed the motion absolutely flawlessly. The lunge, the unsheating of his weapon...he couldn't have possibly done it better. The blade flashed out, and...stopped.

He looked up to see his opponent's arm extended, dripping with blood, yet somehow keeping his blade from progressing. It was as if he the flesh itself was a piece of armour...and beyond that, the woman didn't even seem to feel his weapon's presence.